Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What support they have given to education in southern Sudan during each of the past five years; and what form this took.

Baroness Amos: This financial year we have committed £220,000 to support scholarships programmes in Sudan, particularly for women, and £300,000 to UNICEF for schools rehabilitation and teacher training in the Nuba mountains. We are also planning a significant intervention in the education sector in government and SPLM/A controlled conflict affected areas. We have committed £303,263 support for education initiatives for displaced people through the joint funding scheme since May 1998.

Queen's Counsel

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 7 January (WA 167), why direct and personal answerability by the Lord Chancellor to Parliament is considered appropriate and necessary for decisions regarding the appointment of Queen's Counsel.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: In my Written Answer of 7 January to which the noble Lord refers I stated that I am directly and personally answerable to Parliament for the systems and policies relating to the award of Queen's Counsel. I may therefore be questioned in Parliament on these, as distinct from decisions whether to advise Her Majesty to award Silk in individual cases.
	Constitutional propriety dictates that Her Majesty should be able to rely on the advice of a Minister in the exercise of Her Royal Prerogative. That includes appointments to the rank of Queen's Counsel. I am the appropriate Minister in this case. My responsibilities include policy on the regulation of the legal professions and the safeguarding of the public interest in the provision of legal services: the award of Silk assists in this since Silk is a quality mark for the consumer.

Clinical Negligence Claims

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they agree with the figures published by the Legal Services Commission which show that successful claims in publicly funded clinical negligence cases have fallen to 24 per cent; and how this will impact on the claims for compensation from people with haemophilia who have been infected by hepatitis C by contaminated National Health Service blood products.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Public funding has two distinct roles in clinical negligence claims: to investigate which potential claims are worth pursuing and to support those which are. Clinical negligence claims tend to be complex and investigation is needed to ascertain the merits of taking a case forward. More than half of all cases are not funded to proceed beyond the investigative stage. In 2001–02, 27 per cent of all cases that received some funding from the Legal Services Commission (LSC) were utimately successful in litigation. However, of cases which were allowed to proceed beyond the initial investigative stage, 57 per cent were successful. At all stages the case is subject to a merits test and the applicant to a means test.
	Success rates for publicly funded cases have no impact on other, ongoing claims for compensation; each application is considered on an individual basis. The LSC may discharge a funding certificate at any point when it has evidence that funding is no longer justified on ground of either means or merits.

Gulf War: US and UK Contribution

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they required the United States to pay for support, help and use of facilities as a result of the Gulf War in the 1990s.

Lord Bach: The United Kingdom did not require the United States to pay for support or make any direct financial payment to the UK during the Gulf conflict. The UK's contribution to the Gulf conflict was part of an international coalition force. As part of that international coalition force, coalition partners pooled resources and equipment and were able to share capabilities and facilities. This meant that the US, along with other coalition partners, loaned to the UK a certain amount of equipment. According to records held by the Ministry of Defence, the US loaned communications equipment, a number of high mobility load carriers and logistic support to UK Armed Forces.

Pilots in the Armed Forces

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current shortfall of pilots in the Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

Lord Bach: In the Royal Navy, the overall shortfall of trained pilots is currently 46 (9 per cent). This, however, includes staff and administrative posts; the shortfall in the front line is less than 5 per cent. Pilots in the Army are in manning balance at present, while in the Royal Air Force, the current shortfall of junior officer pilots is 106 (7.1 per cent) of the requirement.

Northern Ireland: Property Valuation Procedures involving Public Servants

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the valuation process to assess the market value for a residence in Cultra in North Down which they sold to a former senior civil servant in the Anglo-Irish Secretariat who is now involved with the Boundary Commission; and whether the full normal procedures were adhered to.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The process followed was that the average of two valuations was used to assess the sale price. One of the valuations was provided on the prospective buyer's behalf and the other by surveyors acting for the Northern Ireland Office. The full normal procedures in place at that time were adhered to.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applications were received from (a) Roman Catholics and (b) non-Roman Catholics for each recruitment competition to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Numbers of Roman Catholics and non-Roman Catholics who have applied to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland to date are as follows:
	
		
			  Total Applicants Roman Catholic applicants (rounded to nearest %) non-Roman Catholic applicants (rounded to nearest %) 
			 Competition 1 7519 35% 65% 
			 Competition 2 4890 39% 61% 
			 Competition 3 4674 35% 65% 
			 Competition 4 4327 35% 65%

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many successful applications were accepted from (a) Roman Catholics and (b) non-Roman Catholics for each recruitment competition to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Roman Catholics appointed Non-Roman Catholics appointed 
			 Competition 1 153 152 
			 Competition 2 98 94 to date 
			 Competition 3 59 to date 57 to date 
		
	
	In relation to Competition 1, the final non-Catholic to be offered an appointment withdrew a few days prior to taking up post. The competition had by this time been closed, and it was not therefore possible to offer the appointment to another candidate.
	Further appointments are anticipated from Competitions 2 and 3. No appointments have been made as yet from Competition 4.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many (a) Roman Catholic and (b) non-Roman Catholic recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland have successfully completed all elements of the training course.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Three hundred and eighty-one student officers have graduated to date into the Police Service of Northern Ireland; 192 graduates are considered as coming from the Roman Catholic community, and 189 are not.

Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to a Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7 January (WA168), whether they will list all the feature films which the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission has assisted since its creation.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through its Lottery fund, was the main funder of films in NI until March 2002, when the NI Film and Television Commission (NIFTC) was delegated responsibility for Lottery film funding. NIFTC has provided information on both its own investments and those of the Arts Council for Northern Ireland since 1997. The following films have been assisted:
	"Crossmaheart"
	"All For Love"
	"Divorcing Jack"
	"Titanic Town"
	"Sunset Heights"
	"With or Without You"
	"Mad About Mambo"
	"A Love Divided"
	"Wild About Harry"
	"Eureka Street"
	"Hotel Splendide"
	"Country"
	"The Most Fertile Man in Ireland"
	"H3" (a.k.a. "No Distant Heroes")
	"An Everlasting Piece"
	"Puckoon"
	"Mapmaker"
	"Straight to Video"
	"The Honeymooners"
	"Made of Jam"
	"Blind Flight".

Gosford Castle: Disposal

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Under what terms Gosford Castle in County Armagh was disposed of by the Department of Agriculture; whether those terms required certain remedial works to be undertaken within a given time-scale; and whether any such works have been completed.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) remains the castle's current legal owner. The terms and conditions under which Gosford Castle is to be disposed of by DARD will be subject to negotiation of a legal agreement with the successful bidder—the Boyd Partnership and Lagan Developments Limited—for the restoration and development of the castle. The successful bidder had to satisfy conditions with regard to financial ability to purchase and carry out restoration work and that the proposed development had to be sympathetic to the existing uses of the forest park.
	DARD granted the latter a short-term licence up to 11 January 2003 for the purpose of carrying out a survey of the building and to effect minor but essential repairs. The survey work will identify a schedule of repair work for agreement with DARD and for inclusion in the agreement for disposal.

Gosford Castle: Disposal

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the terms of disposal of Gosford Castle in County Armagh included a provision which would allow for new building works to take place outwith the current footprint of the castle, subject to planning permission and listed building consent.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: It is intended that some land surrounding the castle will be included in the disposal and the question of new building works outside the castle is a matter for the developer. However, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development would not object to such in principle, subject to normal planning and building controls.

London Congestion Charge: Payment Arrangements in Palace of Westminster

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	What arrangements there will be for payment of the London congestion charge to be made within the precincts of the Palace of Westminster.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: Transport for London has now agreed to supply a self-service machine for payment of the congestion charge within the Palace of Westminster. The machine will be installed near the House of Commons' cash machines, and is likely to be available from the end of March. Congestion charging will start on 17 February, and in the interim the nearest self-service machine will be at the entrance to the Abingdon Green car park. Other methods of payment include:
	online at www.cclondon.com;
	by telephone on 0845 900 1234;
	by mobile phone text message, having registered online or by telephone;
	at a range of petrol stations and retail outlets.

Conduct of Departmental Business

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidelines apply to interventions in administrative procedures within Whitehall by ministerial offices, special advisers and press officers.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: All departmental business is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, Guidance on the Work of the Government Information Service and the GICS Handbook, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Police Authority Grants

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to publish the allocations of grant for police authorities in England and Wales.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have today placed in the Library a copy of the Police Grant Report (England and Wales) 2003–04 (HC 270). The report sets out our determination for 2003–04 of the aggregate amount of grants that we propose to pay under section 46(2) of the Police Act 1996 and the amount to be paid to each police authority and to the Greater London Authority for the Metropolitan Police Authority.
	Allocations for each police authority for financial years 2002–03 and 2003–04 are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Police Authority 2002–03 Allocation(1, 4) 2003–04 Allocation(1) % Change 
			 English Shire forces 
			 Avon & Somerset 152.4 157.1 3.1% 
			 Bedfordshire 57.5 60.1 4.6% 
			 Cambridgeshire 67.7 71.1 5.0% 
			 Cheshire 99.0 103.9 4.9% 
			 Cleveland 80.1 84.1 5.0% 
			 Cumbria 55.8 57.7 3.4% 
			 Derbyshire 95.0 97.9 3.1% 
			 Devon & Cornwall 156.7 161.5 3.0% 
			 Dorset 59.7 61.6 3.0% 
			 Durham 77.8 81.5 4.9% 
			 Essex 151.3 155.9 3.0% 
			 Gloucestershire 55.3 57.0 3.0% 
			 Hampshire 179.0 184.5 3.1% 
			 Hertfordshire(4) 98.6 101.5 3.0% 
			 Humberside 106.0 110.9 4.6% 
			 Kent 171.6 176.8 3.0% 
			 Lancashire 168.8 177.1 4.9% 
			 Leicestershire 94.5 98.8 4.5% 
			 Lincolnshire 57.0 58.7 3.0% 
			 Norfolk 76.7 79.6 3.7% 
			 North Yorkshire 68.3 70.4 3.0% 
			 Northamptonshire 59.3 62.2 5.0% 
			 Nottinghamshire 118.5 123.6 4.3% 
			 Staffordshire 102.7 105.8 3.0% 
			 Suffolk 62.0 63.9 3.1% 
			 Surrey(4) 82.9 85.4 3.0% 
			 Sussex 148.6 153.1 3.0% 
			 Thames Valley 199.8 205.9 3.0% 
			 Warwickshire 46.8 48.2 3.0% 
			 West Mercia 101.3 104.4 3.0% 
			 Wiltshire 56.8 58.7 3.2% 
			 English Metropolitan forces 
			 Greater Manchester 362.8 380.8 4.9% 
			 Merseyside 229.1 240.5 5.0% 
			 Northumbria 204.2 214.3 5.0% 
			 South Yorkshire 164.2 172.3 5.0% 
			 West Midlands 368.3 386.5 4.9% 
			 West Yorkshire 275.8 289.4 4.9% 
			  
			 London forces   
			 GLA—all functions(5) 1,926.8 2,022.1 4.9% 
			 City of London(2) 29.8 32.5 9.1% 
			 English Total 6,668.8 6,957.2 4.3% 
			  
			 Welsh forces   
			 Dyfed-Powys(3) 47.9 49.3 3.0% 
			 Gwent(3) 66.7 69.6 4.3% 
			 North Wales(3) 70.2 73.4 4.5% 
			 South Wales(3) 158.3 163.0 3.0% 
			 Welsh total 343.0 355.2 3.6% 
			 Total 7,011.8 7,312.4 4.3% 
		
	
	Notes
	1. Rounded to the nearest £100,000. Grant as calculated under the Local Government Finance Report (England) and Local Government Finance Report (Wales). This includes the Metropolitan Police special payment, and the effects of floors and ceilings.
	2. Figures for the City are Police Grant only.
	3. Figures for Welsh authorities for 2002–03 are reduced due to the appropriate amount of the £266,000 council tax penalty to the Treasury.
	4. The figures above do not include the special payments for transitional costs associated with changes to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District from 1 April 2000.
	5. The overall increase for GLA is 4.9 per cent. This includes provision for Metropolitan Police and other funded services.
	6. "Floor" and "ceiling" increases of 3 per cent. and 4.9 per cent. respectively have been applied. There are minor variations arising from inclusion of capital charges.

Decontamination Guidance

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidance has been published for the emergency services and other responding agencies on the decontamination of people exposed to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear substances or material.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Strategic National Guidance on the Decontamination of People Exposed to Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Substances or Material, for use by the emergency services and other responders, has today been placed on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk) and United Kingdom Resilience website (www.ukresilience.info). The guidance may be downloaded from those sites and we are also placing a copy in the Library.
	The guidance will be updated periodically and these updates will be available on the Home Office and United Kingdom Resilience websites.

Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will draw to the attention of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews requirement 4.7 of the United Kingdom Sports Council's guidelines for the recognition of governing bodies concerning equal opportunities.

Baroness Blackstone: The Sports Councils deal with applications seeking recognition as United Kingdom or home country governing bodies. Their requirements relating to equal opportunities apply only to these bodies which seek such recognition. However, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews is the International Governing Body for Golf (with the exception of the United States of America) and as such the sports councils have no authority over it. The R&A has not applied for recognition to any of the sports councils.
	The content of paragraph 4.7 relating to equal opportunities policy in Sport England's Guidelines for the Recognition of English Governing Bodies does not apply.

Licensing Bill: Regulated Entertainment

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will review the policy set out in the Licensing Bill with regard to regulated entertainment taking place in churches and other places of public worship, and in church halls, chapel halls, community centres and similar premises.

Baroness Blackstone: Following further consideration and consultation with faith groups, the Government have tabled an amendment to the Licensing Bill that would exempt secular entertainment provided in places of public religious worship and the provision of entertainment facilities in such places from the need to obtain a licence under the Bill when it is enacted. Music for the purposes of or incidental to a religious service or meeting is already exempt.
	The exemption reflects the current position outside Greater London. Within Greater London, the provision of secular entertainment at places of public worship has for many years been licensable. The amendment the Government have tabled will add further to the deregulatory measures already contained in the Bill.
	The Government also wish to make plain their intention to exempt church halls, chapel halls or other similar buildings occupied in connection with a place of public religious worship, and village halls, parish or community halls or other similar buildings from the fees associated with the provision of entertainment or entertainment facilities under the licensing regime. Use of such premises to put on entertainment will still require a licence as such provision can and does give rise to issues of nuisance, public safety and crime and disorder. However, the Bill provides for a streamlined and straightforward licensing scheme with minimum bureaucracy. In addition, the guidance to be issued by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under the Bill will make it clear that conditions attached to any licences for such premises be proportionate to the risks involved which are likely to be minimal in most cases.
	Where a premises licence authorises the sale of alcohol in premises of this nature, however, the normal licence fee will be payable. This is entirely in line with existing arrangements. In addition, those wishing to use village, church and parish halls, and other community buildings will all be able to take advantage of the simple and easy notification procedure that the Bill provides for temporary events.
	The precise details of the fee structure will be the subject of consultation with interested parties.
	The Government hope that religious institutions, music societies and other community groups will derive great benefit from the exemptions and that the initiative will further strengthen our drive to increase the diversity of cultural experience available to people and communities throughout England and Wales. Furthermore, the exemptions will bolster the measures already contained in the Bill that are designed to foster live music by opening up even further the opportunities for musicians to perform.

GATS

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they think any of the British regulatory regimes may be regarded as "more burdensome than necessary" for the purpose of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: No. Member countries of the World Trade Organisation are discussing, under a mandate in the GATS, whether "any necessary disciplines" need to be developed to ensure that measures relating to qualification requirements and procedures, technical standards and licensing requirements do not constitute unnecessary barriers to trade and are not more burdensome than necessary to ensure the quality of the service. Any such disciplines would not apply to national domestic regulatory regimes as a whole. No conclusions have yet been reached.
	The Government's Principles of Good Regulation encourage UK regulators to ensure that regulations are targeted to focus on the problem concerned, with minimal side effects.

GATS

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they believe that local government services which a local authority currently provides in partnership with a private or not-for-profit sector body would fall out with the General Agreement on Trade in Services regime; and
	Whether they believe that they have issued procurement best practice guidelines to local authorities that have clarified the implications of Article 1.3 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services; and, if so, what wording they used.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government do believe that such services would fall outside the scope of the GATS. The service would still be one supplied by the local authority. Any decision to contract out to the private sector would need to be consistent with European Union public procurement rules and those of the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement. There are as yet no GATS rules on public procurement. The Government are in touch with the Local Government Association about the implications of the GATS for local government services.

Hydrogen

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider that the need for hydrogen as an energy source is likely to develop considerably over the next decade; and what action they are taking to ensure that adequate supplies are available.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The energy White Paper will be looking at the future pattern of energy demand and, among other things, the role that hydrogen could play in meeting future energy needs.

British Energy plc

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the statement on British Energy on 28 November 2002 (HC Deb, col. 488), what payments Mr Robin Jeffrey, the former chairman, has received as a director since 28 November 2002; and when they expect the terms of any compensation package to be settled and Mr Jeffrey to resign from British Energy.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: This is a matter for the company.

Wind and Nuclear Power

Lord Mackie of Benshie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the cost of a unit of electricity produced by wind power compares with a unit produced by a nuclear power station.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The costs of generating electricity are a commercial matter for generators. Costs can be estimated on a variety of bases and will vary from plant to plant. For example, figures can include all cost items, including depreciation and return on capital, or can refer only to the additional costs associated with continued operation.
	Estimates of generation costs from different types of plant are contained in the PIU Energy Review and a report by an inter-departmental analysts group, both of which were published in February 2002.
	The PIU estimated the costs of new nuclear build and onshore and offshore wind generation as follows.
	
		
			  Estimated generation cost (p/kWh) 
			 Nuclear 2.5-4 
			 Onshore wind 1.5-2.5 
			 Offshore wind 2-3 
		
	
	Note: Estimates for onshore and offshore wind are for developments in 2020 and exclude additional costs occurring as a result of their intermittent nature.

Employment Act 2002 Draft Regulations

Lord Wedderburn of Charlton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect to provide the drafts of regulations to be proposed under Parts 2 and 3 of the Employment Act 2002.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: We expect to carry out parallel consultations on draft regulations under Parts 2 and 3 of this Act over the summer, with a view to placing them before Parliament in the autumn, to come into effect in April 2004.

National Union of Students: Role in White Paper on Future of Higher Education

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the arrangement with the National Union of Students described in paragraph 4.5 of their White Paper The Future of Higher Education was submitted to competitive tender; and whether the information used to compile the proposed guide will be made available to the new guide's commercial competitors Virgin and Push.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The department will consider with the National Union of Students the nature of the proposed guide and its role in its development. No decisions have been made with regard to contracting for the work.

Prisoners: Housing Benefit

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why housing benefit is not available to those serving prison sentences of more than 13 weeks; and whether they will make it available, at least where the offender has dependants aged under 18 or is of pensionable age; and
	Whether they will enable the spouse or partner of a convicted and imprisoned person to claim housing benefit from the date of the conviction.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: In general, housing benefit is only payable to people who are occupying the home for which housing costs are payable. However, benefit can continue to be paid during periods of temporary absence from home.
	The existing housing benefit rules allow benefit to continue to be paid to convicted prisoners for up to 13 weeks if their absence from home, including time already spent on remand, is not expected to exceed 13 weeks. This recognises public concern that prisoners should not be treated more generously than other groups and the need to focus limited resources where they are most needed. People held in custody while on remand are entitled to receive housing benefit for up to 52 weeks.
	Partners of prisoners serving a sentence longer than 13 weeks can already claim housing benefit in their own right, subject to the usual conditions of entitlement.

Haemophiliacs with Hepatitis C: Correspondence

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What reply the Secretary of State for Health will make to the correspondence from Louella Houldcroft of the Newcastle Journal, sent to him on 22 January, about people with haemophilia infected with hepatitis C by contaminated National Health Service blood products; and whether he will be taking any action in relation to the correspondence.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We will consider the correspondence carefully and reply to my noble friend as soon as possible. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to conduct a quinquennial review of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; if so, when this will take place; and what the parameters for the review are to be.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Quinquennial reviews were abolished following the publication in July 2002 of the report Better Government Services: Executive Agencies in the 21st Century. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence was examined by the Health Select Committee in 2002, and is arranging for an external quality assessment of its technology appraisals.The Government will keep under review the need for any further inquiries.

Severely Disabled Children

Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the present number of severely disabled children; and how many there were in 1970; and
	How many severely disabled children are (a) living in institutions and (b) attending special schools; and
	How many (a) institutions and (b) special schools providing care for severely disabled children are in the United Kingdom; and who currently funds them; and
	What is the average cost of maintaining a severely disabled child (a) full time in institutions, (b) full time in a special school; and (c) at home with no full-time residential carers; and
	What is the amount and nature of care provided to severely disabled children by social services departments; and what is the cost to those departments; and
	How the present level of financial provision for families with severely disabled children compares with that in 1970; and what it consists of; and
	Whether they monitor the problems of families with severely disabled children; and
	Whether they will set up an inquiry into the extent of the problems of families with severely disabled children.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) research published in 1989 estimated that, overall, there were 110,000 severely disabled children under the age of 16 in Great Britian. This survey remains by far the largest exploration of childhood disability ever undertaken in the United Kingdom. There were a number of earlier smaller surveys undertaken in the 1970s, but none was sufficiently comprehensive to provide a baseline for subsequent comparisons.
	We do not collect statistics broken down by severity of impairment. The number of disabled children living in residential placements was estimated at 31 March 2001 to be nearly 2,300. Of these 550 were in residential schools. There are about 6,600 pupils in maintained and non-maintained residential special schools, plus a further 4,400 in independent residential special schools. Nearly all these children have statements of special educational needs, but data are not collected about whether they are disabled or not. We do not collect central information about the number of institutions that provide care for disabled children. As at January 2002, there were some 1,400 special schools in the country, including 227 which provide residential placements.
	We do not centrally collect statistics on the average costs of maintaining disabled children in institutions, special schools or at home without full time residential carers. A reanalysis of the 1989 OPCS survey [Kavanagh and Opit 1998] showed that the weekly cost for children (0-16 years) resident in private households was £330 per week at 1994–95 prices. For children in communal establishments, the average weekly cost of the placement and other services use was between £554 (private residential homes) and £1,128 in local authority residential homes. The average per capita budget cost of local authority maintained special school provision in England was £11,210 in 2001–02. In independent and non-maintained special schools there is a wide range of fees as a result of individual tailored provision and it is not meaningful to provide an average figure.
	We are providing substantial financial support to families of disabled children. Tackling child poverty is a complex and multi-dimensional issue. It is not just about income; it is also about extra investment in healthcare and education services, and improvements in the sytem for children and teenagers who are vulnerable or disabled. The Government increased the disabled child premium in income-related benefits by £7.40 a week more than the normal uprating in April 2001 and again in April 2002 by another £5 more than inflation, to £35.50 a week. This premium is benefiting the families of around 85,000 children with disabilities and currently, together with the enhanced disability premium paid to families with around 40,000 severely disabled children, costs some £160 million in 2001–02. Spending of £200 million is planned for 2002–03, of which about £20 million is expected to be spent on the enhanced disability premium. In addition 232,000 in 2001–02, forecast of 247,000 in 2002–03, disabled children with care and/or mobility needs are helped by disability living allowance at an annual cost of £674 million in 2001–02. Spending is forecast to rise to £744 million in 2002–03. Benefit spending on children in addition to the spending on disability living allowance is £13,081 million in 2001–02, and is forecast to rise to £13,764 million in 2002–03. This figure includes benefit spending only and excludes tax credits.
	The disabled child tax credit element of the working families' tax credit was introduced in October 2000 for families with children getting disability living allowance or who are registered blind, or who have left the register in the last 28 weeks. This is currently worth a maximum of £35.50. The child enhanced disability tax credit, currently worth £46.75 a week, was introduced in April 2001 for severley disabled children getting the higher rate care component of DLA. From April 2003 the new child tax credit for families will include family elements and child elements. The child element for disabled children will be worth £3,600 per year, while the child element for severely disabled children will be worth £4,465 per year. The Government also provide funding to the Family Fund Trust which provides grants to help reduce the stress on families with severely disabled children. This increased from £26.4 million in 2001 to £27.4 million this year and will increase by a further £1 million in 2003–04.
	Disabled children receive a range of care and support from social services departments. This includes advice and guidance; family support including short-term breaks; residential provision; selfcare and independent skills training; drop-in clubs and groups; activities at family centres; transition support sevices. The Children in Need survey 2001 shows that the average cost to social services of each disabled child in residential care during the survey week in September/October 2001, excluding those that received respite care alone, was £1,400. The average cost to social services of each disabled child supported in their family or independently during the census week was £130.
	As part of the Government's £885 million Quality Protects programme, we set national objectives for children's social services and through inspections, monitoring and annual reviews the department's Social Services Inspectorate monitor progress towards their achievement. The objectives include specific sub-objectives for disabled children, which are a priority area in the programme. Last year's Quality Protects Management Action Plans (MAPs) show that local authorities are beginning to improve the services they provide to disabled children, including providing more family support services such as home based respite care and sitting services. For severely disabled children the draft national overview of the MAPs says, "There are a number of examples of innovative partnerships with health to enable the appointment of health care assistants and developing roles for paediatric home care services. Services have also looked at the role of nursing support in special schools and the development of community services." Next year (2003–04) the earmarked funding for disabled children will double from £15 million to £30 million.
	The Children's National Service framework, which will be published later this year, will set national standards across health and social care for children's services. The external working group developing NSF standards for disabled children's services has set up a specific task group to consider the needs of severely disabled children. This is addressing the current support being provided to severely disabled children and their families and how they can be improved. It will make recommendations about the interventions needed to maximise life chance benefits from educational opportunities, healthcare and social care. We do not therefore feel that there is a need to set up an inquiry at this point.